But as soon as they had done their work on the pitch, the trash talk started off it.

Former Wallabies scrum half Brett Sheehan was the first to fire. He said: "We want it them to know they've been in a battle. If it gets fiery, well that's good for us. Gatland stressed they want to stay disciplined. There were a few little things that got under their skin [in Hong Kong] so maybe we’ll do a little bit of the same."

Then his captain Matt Hodgson said he hopes to hurt a few bodies of the tourists.

He said: "They’ve probably come out and pencilled in victories in most of their games leading up to the Test matches.

"I think any loss is going to be a blow to them.

"If we can’t get the win, we’re going to give them a solid performance and hopefully hurt a few of their bodies.

"We always like taking on the top teams and putting in good performances. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."